During the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities in San Francisco, the NBA Slam Dunk Contest will feature some young talent in the league.
Among the headliners reported so far include Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs), Matas Buzelis (Chicago Bulls), and Andre Jackson Jr. (Milwaukee Bucks).
Mac McClung — the two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion — will also be back to defend his title.
Castle and Buzelis were both recent lottery picks in the 2024 NBA Draft.
During his one-and-done season in the NCAA last season, Castle won a national championship at UConn. Jackson, who will compete against Jackson in the dunk contest, also won a national title at UConn. But the two were not teammates as Jackson turned pro a season prior.
Castle (25) has recorded more dunks than Buzelis (18) and Jackson (11) so far this season, per Stathead.
McClung is currently with Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic, where is he averaging 24 points per game.
For example, so far, we have already seen some standout showings from several prospects selected outside the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft. Although it doesn’t mean these players are destined for continued dominance during their professional careers, there are other conclusions we can make.
Early in the Las Vegas-based tournament, some of the top players include second-round picks like Minnesota Timberwolves forward Leonard Miller. We took a deep dive to explain what we have seen from Miller, as well as a few other notable second-round picks, thus far.
This story used AI-Powered statistics provided by the Stats Perform database.
“The biggest question mark is whether he can improve his perimeter shooting,” notes H/H.
The Boston Celtics have been projected to select a UConn wing in the 2023 NBA draft in a new aggregate mock put together by HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. In his latest offering, Boston takes 6-foot-6 Connecticut junior Andre Jackson, Jr. with the No. 35 pick owed them by the Portland Trail Blazers.
“Jackson Jr.’s stock is as high as it’s been in the aggregate mock draft poll,” wrote Scotto. “He’s a versatile player who can facilitate and rebound and is an athletic defender who can guard three positions while filling up a box score across the board and impacting winning.”
“The biggest question mark is whether he can improve his perimeter shooting,” the H/H analyst keenly points out.
“After the first few games here, Coach told me I was going to have to face up to the pressure, ignore it, go out and play my game,” said Eddie. https://t.co/mNAlHe8Tl2
Jackson was the do-it-all glue guy who helped keep the Huskies afloat all the way to the NCAA title with his well-rounded, fundamental-rich toolkit.
Former University of Connecticut wing Andre Jackson shared that he has worked out with the Boston Celtics on Friday ahead of the 2023 NBA draft, to the likely delight of the subset of New Englanders who root for both ball clubs. Speaking at a media availability session for a workout he had with the Indiana Pacers, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard also revealed that he has worked out with that club and the Brooklyn Nets.
Nearly 22, Jackson was the do-it-all glue guy who helped keep the Huskies afloat all the way to the NCAA title with his well-rounded, fundamental-rich toolkit.
An excellent distributor with good court vision and an excellent rebounder for his size 6.2 per game last season with UConn), the New Yorker is an excellent defender with a high motor and above-average athleticism with explosive leaping ability.
Celtics Lab 190: Boston snatches victory from the jaws of defeat in Game 6 with Greg Brueck-Cassoli https://t.co/C2ffhAE1I2
The big knock on his game is his 3-point shooting, just 28.1% from deep with Connecticut in 2022-23. A mixture of problems with his form and confidence suggests that may never be a key part of his game at the next level.
But, Jackson would likely be able to help Boston’s wing depth almost immediately should he be available when the Celtics draft in the second round.
Could the consensus National Player of the Year return to school?
The deadline to apply to become an early-entry candidate for the 2023 NBA Draft has passed, and several prospects soon have tough decisions to make.
Some of the most notable players in college basketball, like Purdue’s Zach Edey and UConn’s Andre Jackson Jr., declared for the draft while retaining their collegiate eligibility.
NBA draft prospects will have a more clear picture of their potential trajectory after the G League Elite Camp (May 13-14) and the NBA Draft Combine (May 15-21) in Chicago.
Once players have considered their feedback from the pre-draft process, all those who are “testing the waters” for the 2023 NBA Draft have until May 31 to withdraw from the early entry list if they wish to play in the NCAA next season.
They can also wait until June 12 to fully withdraw from the draft if they wish to play outside the NCAA (e.g. NBG League Ignite, Overtime Elite, or for an international team) while retaining their eligibility for the 2024 NBA Draft.
Below are the most interesting prospects who have decisions to make that could highly impact both the 2023 NBA Draft and the 2023-23 NCAA men’s college basketball season.
UConn’s Andre Jackson may have raised some eyebrows with this answer.
Before facing Miami in the Final Four of the NCAA men’s tournament, UConn’s Andre Jackson Jr. said something very surprising.
Jackson, who has played very well for the Huskies in the postseason, is one of the most intriguing NBA draft prospects who will play in the Final Four. He recently showed that he has an interesting perspective on the game and that he isn’t afraid to stray from the norm.
When he and other players in the Final Four were asked by Bleacher Report who they thought should win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, the 21-year-old junior confidently said L.A. Clippers guard Russell Westbrook.
Most of his teammates and opponents predicted frontrunners like Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Other past winners like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were mentioned as well.
Westbrook, who was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2017, has missed three consecutive All-Star games. He had trouble finding his role in the rotation for the Lakers and his teammates reportedly looked at him as a “vampire” in the locker room.
Westbrook’s fall from league MVP to NBA journeyman is sad to watch, but it makes sense why Jackson is a fan. At the peak of his powers, Westbrook was one of the most athletic players in the game and he is currently the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles.
UConn’s Dan Hurley has described Jackson as the “best athlete” he has ever coached. He has approached recording a triple-double in all four games that UConn has played during the tournament, notching 8 points with 9 rebounds and 10 assists in the Elite Eight.
Here is a fun stat to further illustrate the comparison: Jackson’s assist percentage (36.8), defensive rebound percentage (13.7), and true shooting percentage (53.4) in the tournament are all nearly identical to Westbrook’s assist percentage (39.1), defensive rebound percentage (13.7), and his true shooting percentage (55.2) on the Clippers.
Jackson is also averaging nearly as many assists in a transition offense (1.3) this season as Westbrook (1.5) in 2022-23, per Synergy. According to Hoop-Math, the UConn junior also assists on approximately as many 3-pointers per 40 minutes (2.7) as Westbrook (2.5) does as well.
Lots of comparisons between the Clippers adjustments to teams sagging off Russell Westbrook and Dan Hurley / UConn adjustments to teams sagging off Andre Jackson. Andre attacking the offensive glass with a full head of steam is a PROBLEM! #UConnhttps://t.co/3p9Nm4xqWV
Defenders also guard Jackson relatively similarly to how they currently defend Westbrook, sagging off when both are on the perimeter. More than 60.0 percent of Jackson’s jump shots are uncontested, according to our AI-Powered statistics provided by Stats Perform.
Jackson, however, has maintained a low usage rate while in college which lowers the risk of his team getting hurt by his scoring inefficiency.
Maybe a low-usage version of Westbrook isn’t exactly an unfair player comparison for Jackson, and perhaps the choice isn’t so shocking after all.
UConn’s Jordan Hawkins is a ready-to-play movement shooter perfect for the NBA.
This is a fascinating Final Four in the NCAA men’s tournament, especially because we may only have one first-round draft pick playing in either game.
Between the two matchups, UConn vs. Miami is the game to watch if you want to see likely future NBA players. Even if there aren’t many players selected in the first round, there are several who could find their way onto your favorite pro team.
Before the two games have their tipoffs in Houston on Saturday, these are the top NBA draft prospects you should keep your eyes peeled for whenever they are on the court.
NOTE: UConn’s Donovan Clingan would also make this list if he decides to declare for the 2023 NBA Draft.
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Here’s who the Thunder draft in ESPN’s latest 2023 NBA mock draft.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s surprising success has caused fans to shift from focusing on the draft to the standings.
Despite that, ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony published his latest 2023 mock draft this past Saturday and included a couple of Thunder selections.
As a quick reminder, the Thunder own draft swap rights to the LA Clippers’ first-round pick, which means they get to keep the higher of the two first-round picks (theirs or LA’s).
In this exercise, the Thunder kept their own pick at No. 6 because the Clippers’ pick landed at No. 23.
The Thunder also own their own second-round pick.
Let’s take a look at who Givony has the Thunder taking with their two draft picks in this mock draft.
See which legends of defense made the cut in our all-time Iowa Hawkeyes football roster.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have a rich history with some of the game’s titans suiting up in the black and gold. Hawkeyes Wire is taking a look back at Iowa’s finest offensive playmakers, defensive standouts, specialists and coaches from its entire history.
Now, it’s time to take a glance at the Hawkeyes’ defensive history. Which defensive linemen have frustrated opposing quarterbacks? Who are the Iowa linebackers that have snuffed out the opponents’ running game? In the secondary, which ball Hawks find their way onto the all-time list?
Here’s a look at our Iowa Hawkeyes all-time defensive players two-deep.
In order to help us get a better sense of where all of the projected top prospects in the class stand as of right now, we compiled mock drafts from ESPN, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, Basketball News and USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win.
Please note that these rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for consensus, not our own opinion.
Since our last update, the players who have improved the most spots are Ismael Kamagate (Paris), Moussa Diabate (Michigan), Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona), Hugo Besson (New Zealand), Efe Abogidi (Washington State), Iverson Molinar (Mississippi State), Justin Lewis (Marquette), Max Christie (Michigan State), EJ Liddell (Ohio State), and Ochai Agbaji (Kansas).
The most notable prospects making their debut on our rankings are Trevor Keels (Duke), Bryce McGowens (Nebraska), MarJon Beauchamp (G League Ignite), Keon Ellis (Alabama), Christian Koloko (Arizona), Wendell Moore (Duke), Blake Wesley (Notre Dame), Josh Minott (Memphis), Zach Edey (Purdue), and Johnny Davis (Wisconsin).
Some of the top prospects who did not make the cut this time included Hunter Sallis (Gonzaga), Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Tennesse), Kobe Bufkin (Michigan), Mouhamed Gueye (Washington State), Jahvon Quinerly (Albama), Adam Flagler (Baylor), Jaylin Williams (Auburn), Matthieu Gauzin (Le Mans), Isaiah Wong (Miami), Marcus Williams (Texas A&M), and Tyson Etienne (Wichita State).
Otherwise, you can learn the latest updates on every single prospect who has been included in recent mock drafts by scrolling below.
HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report
